Orchestrating Madness
by Signs of Dusk
Summary: Lenalee finds herself in quite the predicament when she applies for a babysitting job for a family that nobody knows much about. What she doesn't know is that this so called 'brat' ends up being fifteen-year-old boy who isn't exactly of the sound mind. Now she's in for a world of absurdity as she struggles to understand what others cannot.


Ch. 1

Lenalee Lee stared up at the ominous mansion, not sure what she should make out of it. The house was huge, at least three stories from what she could tell. It had an old Victorian feel to it, like it belonged back in the 19th century rather than the 21st. Vines could be seen creeping up the foundation of the house, snaking its way up to the first set of windows. Finely pruned rose bushes lined the steps that led up to the doorway. A wrought-iron fence wrapped around the gigantic lawn, adding to the already chilling atmosphere a sense of unwelcome.

No matter how intimidating this manor was, the sixteen-year-old wasn't about to miss out on this prosperous job opportunity. Her older brother came to this estate often as one of the family's private physicians and he had mentioned to her just last week that the current owner was searching for a new sitter for their godson.

Curious on the matter, she inquired further but her brother wouldn't say much. All she really got from him was that the boy was a sweet soul even if he was a bit childish. This got her even more interested, leading her to where she was now: on her way to the interview.

She felt nervous, but excited at the same time. Lenalee had always enjoyed kids, and kids in turn enjoyed her. She had a bit of experience when it came to babysitting, having been watching the younger children in her neighborhood since she was thirteen. Three years of experience didn't seem like much, but the five families that hired her often trusted her deeply. They all gave her recommendations readily, convinced that the infamously wealthy family who lived on the hill would be expecting them.

Clutching onto the manila folder with a tight grip, the teenage girl steeled herself up for the encroaching interview as she gently pushed open the front gate. A rusty _creak_ was made as a result of unoiled hinges, the screeching sound sending a chill down her spine. What a way to leave a fairly creepy feeling, no?

Lenalee walked slowly along the cobblestone path, looking to the small turtle pond on the right and the cluster of apple trees on the left. It all looked very nice, making the trip to the door really quick. The lion head door knockers glared back at her, challenging her to reach into their open mouths to grasp the gold ring hanging in their jaws. The girl hesitated for a second before she knocked three times on the door.

The door opened directly after her third knock, surprising her a little. A tall man with dark eyes and curly hair combed back and pulled in a bun answered, lazily smoking a cigarette. He wore a simple white button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and collar left unbuttoned, his pants a pair of simple black slacks. He squinted at Lenalee, stopping short from almost walking into her. The teenager had to wonder if the man had intended on opening the door when she knocked or it if was purely out of coincidence.

The man took a long drag on his cigarette, shifting his posture to leaning on the doorframe before he actually spoke. "So…who are you? New maid or something?"

"Um, no, I, uh, came here for the babysitting job." Lenalee replied, looking at the man anxiously. He looked so young; like he was in his early twenties. Was he the new owner of the manor? "Are you…are you Cross Marian?"

The man gave an incredulous snort, grinning crookedly. "Hell no, I'm not the womanizing drunk. But he has been expecting you, I might say."

He turned and started walking back inside, leaving Lenalee lingering at the door. She stared at his back, unsure if she should follow him when his voice cut in sharply. "Are you coming or not?"

Lenalee nodded despite the fact that he wasn't looking and followed the smoking man. The door was shut behind her by a waiting maid, the woman keeping her head bowed and her eyes adverted. Lenalee stared at her briefly before she rushed off to catch up with her guide, able to notice the strange, dark rings that stood out prominently underneath her eyes.

The two traversed through a long gallery filled with family portraits and a white grand piano, a sitting room with antique furniture, an extravagant dining room filled with silver dishes, and a kitchen that was larger than her bedroom and her brother's combined. Lenalee gawked at all the finery she passed, not used to seeing such grandeur, at least not in this small, humble town. She never would have guessed finding such things. And this was only the first floor!

The man led her to a sunroom at the farthest end on the left side of the house that was adorned with lounge chairs and a few tables. Contrary with what was expected of a room with the word 'sun' in its name, the place was dark, all of the curtains drawn over the semicircle panel of windows. Lenalee thought she could see smoke rising up in the blackness.

Her guide walked over to a nearby chair and plopped down lazily, earning a gruff response from another person.

"I thought you were leaving?" the second person grunted, voice harsh and deep unlike the suave and smooth tone of the first.

"I was, but I ran into that girl you were talking about. You know, the one who wants to become the boy's babysitter."

"She's here?" the man—who Lenalee could now distinguish through the shadows—turned his head to her and barked, "Quit standing there and come in!"

Lenalee tried not to jump at the gravely command, walking quickly into the room and taking an empty seat across from the two men. She stared at them and they in turn stared at her, but with far less interest in their eyes.

The girl held the manila folder in her hands tightly, struggling to keep her nerves in check. "You're Cross Marian, right?"

"The one and only. And you are?"

"My name is Lenalee Lee. My brother comes here sometimes."

Cross leaned forward, outstretching a hand in a gesture that Lenalee mistook as a handshake. She went to shake his hand, only to find the man snatching her folder away. "What are these?" he questioned brusquely, turning the folder this way and that.

"Recommendations from my other babysitting jobs…" Lenalee answered, watching him with disbelief when he tossed the folder away with ease. She tried not to gasp, but couldn't help making just a little noise of surprise.

"I don't give a shit about something like that. I just have a few questions, and if I like the answers, then you're hired."

That seemed a little too easy to her. "Really?" she asked in evident disbelief.

"Consider yourself lucky, girl. Cross is fairly hung over, so he's not exactly Mr. Thorough at the moment."

"Shut it, Tyki!" snapped Cross irately.

Tyki shrugged, pointing to the man beside him with a grin. "You see?"

Lenalee started to wonder if she was getting a little over her head with this particular job. Cross wasn't exactly presenting an ideal image of himself, if he truly was in a hangover. And if he was, that would explain why the room was so dark and the curtains were drawn.

Cross sat back, puffing out a breath of smoke as he asked, "I've just got a couple of questions for you, starting with this: How tolerant are you of things that are different?"

"Well…" began Lenalee, taking a moment to think her answer over. "I-I'm pretty open minded, I like to think. I try not to let initial opinions or views influence my interactions with a person, or keep me from treating them like equals."

"Okay…what's the youngest you've babysat for?"

"Four or five, something around there." She spotted a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, her head automatically turning to see what it was. All she found was nothing but an empty stairwell opposite of the open French doors a few feet behind where Cross and Tyki sat. It was probably just one of the maids passing by.

"How do you handle a child that has…let's say mood swings."

Lenalee's brow knitted together. "You mean like a tantrum, right?"

Cross rubbed his chin slowly, leaning it on his palm as he propped his elbow up on one of the armrests. "Yeah, sure."

"Well I'd talk them down, make sure to diffuse it before it gets out of hand."

"And if it continues?"

Was he trying to test her? Or was this really what the child was like? "I wouldn't give in and I'd send them to their room for punishment. They wouldn't be allowed out until they calmed down."

"What if he doesn't calm down and ends up breaking through the door and wreaking havoc on the entire house?"

Lenalee was thrown by this scenario, having never once been put in such a situation. Sure, she did have to put a few kids in timeout, but they never acted violently because they were upset. Just how bad was this kid?

"I—"

Whatever she was going to say next was cut off by the sudden blare of music echoing all throughout the house from the surround-sound system installed and connected in every room, volume turned up loud. Lenalee jumped violently from her seat, her heart racing in her chest as the beat to Rihanna's Pon De Replay blasted all around her.

Cross growled viciously and Tyki began to laugh.

The curtains were yanked to the side, sunlight pouring in the room and blinding everyone. Cross began to swear as he covered his face with his hands, turning away from the windows. Lenalee could see now that man had long red hair and a strong build, dressed in a similar attire as Tyki. Tyki started laughing even harder, holding his side and coughing for breath.

Lenalee blinked her eyes a few times in an attempt to adjust to the light when she felt herself get pulled out of her chair, gloved hands holding onto her own. She stared wide-eyed at the boy who was unable to stand still facing her. He jumped and bounced to the beat of the song, grinning and giggling jubilantly as he spun her around with him. His head swung back and forth, up and down, white hair flying all over the place.

"Dance Party!" the boy squealed, smiling brightly as he let go of her hands and started dancing by himself.

The girl stood there rigid, staring disbelieving at the boy as he flailed around, attention fleeting all over the place. He was…he was about her age!

When he spotted her again, she flinched, fearing that he had noticed her blatant staring. He seemed unaffected however, skipping over to her with a bright smile on his face. He stopped just inches in front of her, the two nose-to-nose. She tried leaning back, but he only leaned forward, still grinning broadly.

"You're pretty!" he exclaimed. Then he kissed her.

Lenalee's eyes widened even more, her hands immediately going to his chest to push him back. It wasn't an easy thing to do, pushing him away. He may have been about her size, but he was a lot heavier than he looked. If it wasn't for Tyki pulling him away by the collar, she was certain that he would've done even more than just kiss her.

"Allen, where are your manners?" Tyki admonished sternly, directing the boy away from Lenalee with a few gentle pushes on the shoulder.

Allen's face grew flush and he bowed his head in embarrassment as he mumbled, "But that's what Cross does when he sees pretty girls…"

"Hey, brat!" snapped Cross, snarling over at him as he glared. "This isn't about me! And didn't I tell you not to leave your room until I said so?"

"I saw that pretty girl coming to the door, and I wanted to meet her!" Allen protested in a whining tone, pointing to Lenalee.

Tyki pushed Allen's hand down as he mumbled to the boy, "It's not polite to point, Allen."

"That doesn't matter! Now go back upstairs and turn off that goddamn crap people call music!" roared Cross vehemently at Allen.

Allen pouted, muttering things under his breath as he dug his hands into the pockets of his trousers and shuffled away. As he passed Lenalee, his face lit up a bit, some of the gloom erased away. Her cheeks grew warm when he smiled at her cheekily.

The song started to repeat itself before it was turned off, drenching the entire household once more in the empty silence that had been there before. Lenalee remained standing where she was, struggling to process what she had just experienced. First there was music, then a boy comes in and starts dancing with her, acts like he's ten times younger, and kisses her.

Did that really just happen?

"I think you should sit back down, Lenalee," prompt Tyki as he returned to his chair, exhaling slowly as he ground his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.

Lenalee did as was suggested, slowly taking a seat back in the chair she had previously been sitting in. She stared at the men, still obviously stricken by this unexpected performance.

"I don't think he took any of his medication this morning," mused Tyki aloud, glaring at Cross pointedly. "Aren't you supposed to make sure he does that?"

"So I forgot, big damn deal," Cross waved off. "Besides, we both know things could've gotten a lot worse."

"But you've got to keep up with this thing. He'll lapse back really hard because of your forgetfulness."

"Well, if you're so worried, why don't you do it yourself?" Cross snapped peevishly.

"Because I can't be here every day!"

"Excuse me…" Lenalee interjected softly, somehow able to grab both males' attentions from their bickering. "But, um, who was that?"

"Allen, the brat I want you to babysit. He's…he's…hell, I'm not going to lie, he's fucking crazy—"

"You sure know how to lay it on thick, don't you?" Tyki murmured sarcastically. He continued to glare at Cross before directing his attention to Lenalee. "Let me correct Cross. Allen isn't crazy, he's just a tad emotionally inefficient. Doctors think it's merely a psychological defense mechanism, but we're not entirely sure. He's been this way for five years."

"And that doesn't qualify him as being crazy?" pointed out Cross.

Tyki sighed, appearing vexed. "My cousin isn't insane, he's just disturbed. If he just kept taking his medicine, then he wouldn't be acting like this."

"Why didn't either of you bring this up earlier?" Lenalee asked anxiously. "If I had known, I would've been better prepared."

"No you wouldn't have," Tyki pointed out easily, appearing serious. "You would've just looked at him with pity in your eyes. A lot of people do when we tell them."

"But…you could have at least mentioned he was about my age!" she replied incredulously.

Cross snorted distastefully, sneering slightly. "Like anyone would start off by saying that the kid they wanted you to babysit was fifteen."

"But—"

"Look, I just need someone to watch him in the afternoons. If you want the job, it's yours. If not, then you know your way to the door." Cross growled, staring intently at Lenalee with a narrow-eyed gaze.

The two stared at each other in a silent battle of wills. She knew right away that he was expecting her to get up and leave. That was probably how a lot of candidates wound up, Allen having unintentionally ruined these opportunities by his eccentricities. Cross had implied that Allen had done much worse; just what was the boy capable of doing? And more importantly, was she willing to find out just what that was firsthand? Was she willing to watch over someone who was physically her own age but mentally someone much younger?

"Why don't you pay to have a specialist come to help and keep an eye on him?" asked Lenalee.

A dark look was shared between Cross and Tyki, both bearing unpleasant expressions. "The little shit…didn't do well with the man we hired when he first started acting like this. It's just better if I hire a person who can watch him." Cross answered carefully, exhaling a rush of smoke. "So, what's it going to be, girl?"

What _was _it going to be? Lenalee wasn't sure.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hiya! This idea came to be one day, and I just had to write it. I was originally going to have Lenalee the one who was 'unstable' but it made more sense if it was Allen, because he's just the kind of character who I could picture with that sort of baggage.**

**And yay, NotEvil!Tyki is awesome! Always wanted to see him as a nicer character. Of course, I don't plan him to be all sugar and rainbows. He'll get less OOC later, trust me. **

**Hope you liked the beginning of my first story! Please leave me a review telling me what you think and maybe I can get a longer new chapter up quickly. Thanks!**

**I do not own D. Gray-man or the song Pon De Replay by Rihanna.**


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